"Frances Barber, mesmerizing in 'King Lear' for the reptilian sheen she brings to the king's evil daughter Goneril, attacks Arkadina with no less relish. Slim and sleek and in complete command of a well-trained vocal instrument that snaps to attention when called, Barber knows no fear when playing Arkadina's theatrical tantrums. And her darting eyes are something to watch when she senses the wandering attention of someone in her captive family audience." — Marilyn Stasio, Variety

"McKellen looks as if he is having the time of his life."  Matt Wolf, Bloomberg

"Nunn is deft enough to find the humour, sometimes overlooked in English productions (pace Mitchell), with a relaxed and enjoyable turn from McKellen as Sorin. On the other hand, it also finds pain and pathos, most notably in the reunion between Konstantin and Nina - a genuinely moving performance by Romola Garai."  Pete Wood, What's on Stage

"Frances Barber reminds us that Arkadina is a woman who never stops acting, even when solictiously binding her son's wound, or screaming intemperately at her recalcitrant steward. Even better is Ian McKellen, who buoyantly plays her brother, Sorin, as a shaggy-haired eccentric who dramatises his own misfortunes: even when he confesses that, as a youth, he looked like "a homeless alcoholic" it is with the air of someone conscious of the effect he is making. "  Michael Billington, The Guardian